1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to information processing apparatuses, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus provided with a CPU (central processing unit).
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in personal computers and image processing apparatuses acting as device controllers that are built into vending machines, ticket-vending machines, etc., various measures have been taken for cooling components that emit high heat such as CPUs. One typical example of a method of cooling such high-heat emitting components is a forced air cooling method of supplying cooled air to the high-heat emitting component with a cooling fan. Another typical example is a natural air cooling method where an opening is provided in a housing above the high-heat emitting component, and heat of the high-heat emitting component is exhausted outside the housing by an ascending convection current of heated air.
However, in the forced air cooling method, it is necessary to provide a cooling fan in the housing, which results in a large-sized apparatus and causes noise when the cooling fan is driven, thus making it difficult to keep the product silent. In the natural air cooling method, problems arise if the information processing apparatus is installed outdoors where the environment cannot be managed. Specifically, there may be cases where the air current of the environment in which the apparatus is installed flows counter to the ascending current from inside the housing, which obstructs the heat from being exhausted efficiently. Furthermore, foreign matter may enter through the opening, which may have adverse effects on the quality of the apparatus.
Accordingly, there is a third cooling method that is practically implemented. In this method, the high-heat emitting component is mounted on a substrate. The side of the substrate on which the high-heat emitting component is mounted is arranged close to an inner wall of the housing. Other components are mounted on the other side of the substrate. Thus, the heat emitted from the high-heat emitting component is transferred outside by using the housing as a heat sink. However, in this cooling method, the substrate needs to be fabricated separately so as to conform with the shape of the housing, and therefore, it is difficult to employ a substrate complying with the ATX specification, which is a standard in the field of computers. As a result, the cost of the apparatus increases.